This season, we decided to grow peanuts in the Edible Plants Plot at the Community Garden Demonstration Garden. Why not? They are as pretty as any pea plant and just as easy to grow. I ordered peanut seeds from the Urban Gardener website. They were inexpensive and offered a few different kinds — so I chose 'Jumbo Virginia' peanuts. The catalog described them as productive for home gardens.

I ordered a quarter of a pound — it doesn't take a lot of seeds to grow these plants. They want plenty of room and each plant will yield lots of peanuts. I will be starting these indoors in March since they must be planted after all danger of frost (in Bishop that usually means May), and it will take 4 months of growing to harvest our peanuts.

There are four main types of peanut plants grown in the United States: runner peanuts, Virginia peanuts, Spanish peanuts, and Valencia peanuts. The most commonly grown type of peanut plants are runner peanuts, which make up about 80% grown. Virginia peanuts account for 15%. Runner peanuts are primarily grown in Georgia, Alabama and Florida, with Georgia producing 40% of the U.S. peanut crop. Runner peanuts are most commonly used in the production of peanut butter. Virginia peanuts (Arachis hypogaea) are primarily grown in Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. They produce the largest nuts and are most often used as snacking peanuts. Virginia peanuts have also become very popular in gourmet, all-natural peanut butters. Spanish peanuts (Arachis fastigata) are primarily grown in Texas and Oklahoma. These peanuts are used in candies or sold as salted, shelled peanuts for snacking and are also used in the production of peanut butter. Valencia peanuts (Arachis fastigata) are mostly produced in New Mexico. They are known as the sweetest tasting peanuts and are, therefore, very popular for all natural and homemade peanut butters. Valencia peanuts also make delicious boiled peanuts.

According to some sources, it's not really necessary to get peanut seeds from a seed company, though quite a few offer them. Word (on the internet) has it that peanuts from the grocery store will work just fine — with a few caveats: the peanuts need to be in the shell and raw — not boiled in salt water or roasted, as some are. You could try the feed store or a pet store since some birds — think parrots — like to eat peanuts, and generally the ones for pet birds are raw and in the shell. If you want to be sure of the variety, you should plan to order them, however.

Peanuts can be planted directly as well as started inside. They need average soil — no need for fancy stuff since they are really a legume, not a nut, and they actually put nitrogen into the soil. That's another bonus besides the peanut butter. They do need soil that is loose and deep, since the peanuts, like potatoes, grow underground. And, as I mentioned, they need space — so, no crowding. An addition of calcium (bonemeal works) is recommended, too. Peanuts are tropical natives of South America — so, they need lots of sunlight (at least 8 hours a day) and moisture, though not too much. The common wisdom is 1” of water a week — though in this climate, more might be needed.

You can plant them by just pushing the shell into the soil or you can remove the shell and put the peanut in the soil. Be careful not to remove the red seed coat if you take them out of the shell. Push them in about 1 1/2 to 2 inches deep. The seeds will germinate into a lovely green plant with pretty yellow flowers. Sow seeds indoors 6 to 8 weeks before the last frost or directly outdoors when soil has warmed to 60 to 70 degrees F. Plant seeds 4 to 6 inches apart and leave 3 feet between the rows. Keep the soil moist to ensure germination. Seeds will germinate in 10 to 15 days. Thin the seedlings when they are about 2 inches tall, to a spacing of 8 to 12 inches. Plant indoor starts 8 to 12 inches apart. As the plants grow to about a foot tall, "hill" them by heaping additional soil around the base of the stem, along with light mulch for weed control.

Peanuts grow in a very unusual way, so watching them form is almost as much of a treat as getting to eat the peanuts themselves. About six to eight weeks after germination, bushy, 1- to 2-foot-tall plants produce yellow flowers that are self-pollinating. When the flower petals fall, the tip of the flower stalk begins to elongate until it reaches the ground, but it doesn't stop there. “Pegging down” is the term that describes how this stalk continues to grow into the ground until it reaches a depth of 1 to 2 inches (2.5-5 cm.). At the end of each peg (actually called peduncles) is where the seed pods begin to form, encasing the seeds, or peanuts. Since peanuts bloom over a period of several weeks (up to three months), the pods mature at various intervals. Each pod yields two to three peanuts. Again, It's important to hill up and mulch around each plant when they begin to flower so that the peduncles have good deep soil to dive into. Be sure to keep the plants moist at this stage.

Most peanuts are ready to harvest anywhere from 120-150 days after planting, usually in late summer/early fall when the foliage turns yellow. You should also pull a couple of pods from the ground and inspect them carefully. Ready-to-harvest pods have the typical veined surface, the seed coats are colored, and most of the pods have a darkened inside surface. When you harvest the peanuts, the soil must be dry, so stop watering about two weeks before you harvest. Loosen the soil around plants with a garden fork and lift them by grasping at the base and pulling. Shake the dirt from the roots and pods and let the plants dry in the sun for a week (with the pods on top). Remove the pods from plants and spread them on newspaper in a cool, dry place (such as a garage) for several weeks. Store the peanuts in a mesh bag in a cool, dry place.

Peanuts, like any other garden plant, can be affected by a wide range of pests and diseases, especially hungry squirrels, mice, and chipmunks. Leaf-feeding insects may include army worms and caterpillars. Common diseases are leaf spot, rust, blight, and viral diseases. To help identify what is harming the plants, seek assistance from your local Master Gardeners. (immg@ucanr.edu)

In researching and writing this article, I am reminded of George Washington Carver, a prominent American scientist and inventor in the early 1900s. He also was a champion of crop rotation and agricultural education. Born into slavery, today he is an icon of American ingenuity and the transformative potential of education.

Carver was determined to use his knowledge to help poor farmers of the rural South. He began by introducing the idea of crop rotation. Carver settled on peanuts because it was a simple crop to grow and had excellent nitrogen fixing properties to improve soil depleted by growing cotton. He took his lessons to former slaves turned sharecroppers by inventing the Jessup Wagon, a horse-drawn classroom and laboratory for demonstrating soil chemistry. Farmers were ecstatic with the large cotton crops resulting from the cotton/peanut rotation, but were less enthusiastic about the huge surplus of peanuts that built up and began to rot in local storehouses.

In response, Carver developed approximately 300 products made from peanuts; these included: flour, paste, insulation, paper, wall board, wood stains, soap, shaving cream and skin lotion. He also experimented with medicines made from peanuts, which included antiseptics, laxatives and a treatment for goiter. Contrary to popular belief, while Carver developed a version of peanut butter, he did not invent it. The Incas developed a paste made out of ground peanuts as far back as 950 B.C. In the United States, according to the National Peanut Board, Dr. John Harvey Kellogg, of cereal fame, invented a version of peanut butter in 1895.

So, have a gardening adventure…grow your own peanut butter. Better yet — make chili lime roasted peanuts to eat while you watch a movie. George Washington Carver once said, ”Learn to do common things uncommonly well; we must always keep in mind that anything that helps fill the dinner pail is valuable."

For more information about peanuts, see these resources.

• What Is A Virginia Peanut: Information On Planting Virginia Peanuts https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/peanuts/planting-virginia-peanuts.htm
• Plant Your Own Peanuts – How To Grow Peanuts https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/edible/vegetables/peanuts/growing-peanuts.htm